It had been more than a few days since Christian had left his room for more than food or the restroom; this was not a common thing, though it was becoming more and more so the longer he remained in Hub. He had always had a penchant to work in the common areas of wherever he lived, even when he had lived along, but the longer that he stayed in Hub, the more he tended to find places where others wouldn’t necessarily be. Sure, he liked to spend time with Safi, Belle, Steve, and his other friends, but he needed time and the ability to focus to make some of the things he was making now.

Like the improvements he had made for Jonah; the little roomba had been happy as he was, but Christian had started considering flight for the little vacuum cleaner shortly after finding Hub, and now he was glad he had. Jonah got around far more easily now. And if Tony wanted to pitch a fit just because Chris had based the little repulsors that allowed Jonah to fly on his own reactor technology (and the other Tony Stark’s repulsors, Chris would admit that a bit more freely, seeing that the version of Tony Stark that looked a heck of a lot like him (if a decade or two older) had actively challenged him to do exactly what he had managed, which was to recreate the repulsor technology on his own with just the ideas and what he could see by looking at things. So yeah.

Chris had left his room earlier today, clean and dressed in a crisp suit. He hadn’t stopped in to see any of his fellow residents of the mansion, and he had made sure that he avoided Tony entirely. Maybe he wasn’t proud of that fact, but it was better than getting into it with him, or trying to figure out what the man’s issue with him was, other than the obvious fact that Tony was sleeping with Safi (STILL) and knew full well how Chris felt about him. Uh huh. Life was just flipping peachy.

Pushing open the door to Belle’s cafe, Chris looked around and smiled; it felt like Belle in here, smelled the way he’d expect a cafe owned by his sister to smell; like pies and pastries and coffee. Sliding onto one of the stools at the counter, Chris called out, “Belle?”

Belle’s Head snapped up at the sound of her brothers voice, her joyful welcoming smile brightening the air. “Hey everybody!” She waved to Chris “Say hi to my baby brother!” Half the patrons, the ones who could be considered ‘regulars’ to some extent waved or repeated the greeting as ordered with various degrees of enthusiasm.

Leaning over the counter she gave him a quick but heartfelt hug. “Hey sweetie ya hungry?” It wasn’t REALLY a question, he was getting fed, it was just the difference between pie and cup of tea and a full meal.
@eve

Chris was smiling as he entered Belle’s cafe, Jonah floating just over his shoulder, his satchel hanging at his side. When he sat, he slipped the strap over his head and hung it on the back of his seat, leaning back once he was sitting. Belle’s joyful greeting earned a blink, something darker and unhappy flickering across his face at her introduction of him as her ‘baby’ brother.

But the flash of dark emotion passed just as quickly as it had come, and Chris gave a nod at the room in general before he grinned to Belle, brown eyes warm and happy to see his sister, “Hey Belle, how are you? And how’s the cafe doing?”

When she leaned to hug him, he reached to hug her lightly back. “Well… That sort of depends on if ‘starving’ counts hungry, and what kind of pie you have today…”

Belle was busy, Belle was juggling three orders and a full house, Belle had also known Chris pretty much their entire lives, she knew him like she knew how to core and peel an apple. Eyes closed and half asleep. So when that tiny flash of anger broke across his expression she saw it. Belle’s hug was just a touch tighter, what was wrong? She didn’t think her little joke should have upset him like that.

“We are fine.” Belle’s own expression reflected her flash of worry, “staving? You not eating honey?”

Would Christian have normally been upset at the tiny jab? No, he would have taken it goodnaturedly, maybe have retorted with something about them both being babies, or being near enough to the same age, but not today. Today, he had taken the slightest bit of offense at the statement, even if he let it go quickly enough, the little green orb in his satchel didn’t.

There were times when ignoring the thing was easier, and times when it was impossible. Right now, it was a little bit easier than it had been alone in his room, which was one reason why Christian had gotten up and left the mansion today. Besides, he missed Belle. A lot.

Just as Belle had seen the anger on Chris’ face, Chris saw the worry on hers, “Well… Not today I haven’t. But I ate last night. I just got…” he shrugged, “Preoccupied. And then I thought I’d come visit you.”

The concern in her eyes didn’t fade, only shifting; normally well as of a year ago if Chris said he’d not eaten since the night before it would have been because he was caught up making his toys and fell asleep. Recently though...since things had gone so very down hill with Safi Belle worried for him, and again resisted the urge to go punch the too pretty bodyguard.

“Clive?” She smiled up at a large purple man at the end of the counter “Could ya flip the sign for me?” It was almost time for her midday pause anyway so setting the diner to closed would mean these were her last customers and she could focus on Chris once they were finished.

“Meatloaf sandwich or chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes?” She offered to her little brother. First things first get him fed!

Belle was his sister, she worried about him the same as he worried about her. When James had up and disappeared, when he hadn’t come back, Christian had worried about Belle constantly. He couldn’t blame her for worrying about him the same way, but he didn’t want her to worry, either. To be a source of concern… He was still missing a meal for the same reason as he had in the past; he was getting wrapped up in his projects, in the things he was making, and focusing on them until he fell asleep, or until he couldn’t ignore his hunger anymore, or some other bodily need forced him to put it down for a while. He hadn’t noticed that he had gotten so much more distracted by his toys and magic since he and Safi had talked. Since… Since the group had gone and rescued Belle, Kai, and Natasha.

Flip the sign? Chris blinked, eyes going wider for a moment, “Oh, Belle, don’t close up on my account…” He could come back later if she needed, he hadn’t meant to interrupt her whole day!

Of course, the question about food distracted him. Meatloaf sandwich or chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes? Chris blinked, his expression blanking for a moment as he considered it. She’d be able to see the struggle in his eyes; he loved food, and both options held their own kind of draw for him, but in the end… “Chicken fried steak.” He smiled widely to his sister, “You’re spoiling me.” He felt better right now than he had in days… He should have come to see his sister sooner, she always helped him feel better.

“Almost time ya anway.” She promised with a soft wink, the struggle was real and she finished serving the people around him while he decided, when he did she cocked her head, offering for him to follow her into the kitchen if he wanted too, the steak was preped but she still needed to fry it fresh for him.

There was a small private nook tucked into the corner of her large industrial kitchen, the windows above he welcoming table overlooked the small but tended garden and tree that was her tiny backyard.

Really, if he were going to be really, truly honest, he knew that if she had asked him to come back later, he would have left and intended to come back, but unless he set an alarm, he likely would have lost himself in his work again. So he didn’t argue too hard, because he had missed his sister and didn’t really want to leave. Still, he wanted to make sure she knew that she didn’t have to close up for him.

Her invitation to join her in the kitchen didn’t go unnoticed, and Chris smiled, sliding off his seat and grabbing his satchel before hurrying after her, slinging the strap over his head and slipping it into place as he followed her.

The kitchen suited her, or rather, this kitchen did. The windows, the set up, the garden and tree outside… It was a good place for Belle; this place felt like her, like her home, and he liked it here all the more because of it.

Grinning at Belle’s question, Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out a small item, one that looked to be a pocket watch, though the insides were far more intricate than just a watch. He offered it to Belle to look at more closely; it was a watch, yes, but it was also a compass, and there was a tiny unfinished compartment on the bottom. “This. It’s a watch… Won’t be like the dolls or your music box, and it’s not finished yet, but… I’ve been working on it.”

If there was a reason for her to have sent him away, (which was a nearly inconceivable thought) and he’d forgotten to return, Belle would have been extremely worried and likely hunted him down the next day.

The kitchen was a compromise between what she’d always wanted, what she needed, and what she found in Hub. Because before she had started Belle had speant the effort and time to scour ever shop, stall, and smuggler for….appliances, tupperware, any and every strange combination of items that were the ‘best’ regardless of what universe they came from if they were magic, technological, all Belle cared about was that they worked like she needed and she knew who to call if they broke down.

Sliding the battered steak into a hot pan Belle shifted her attention, and body away from the angry oil. “Ooo, what are you going to put in the bottom?” she asked touching the compartment with her nail.

She noticed he didnt exactly answer the first half of her question, but that was alright, she'd pin him down sooner or later!

It was actually a bit of a relief that Belle didn’t seem to even have the thought to ask Chris to come back when the shop was closed. Lately, things had gotten… Difficult for him, since he had started working with the orb, trying to figure out what it did… And oh, what it could do....He’d become easily distracted by the sphere, and he had finally begun to realize that.

Chris couldn’t help but to smile at the kitchen that Belle had put together for herself. Maybe it wasn’t the kitchen that he had gotten used to in Gotham, and maybe it wasn’t the sort of kitchen that he might have imagined his sister in when he thought of her opening her own little shop or bakery, but it was still very Belle. The whole cafe felt like his sister, felt like coming home again, and there were no other, no better, words for it than that. He settled into a chair and watched Belle bustle about, a small, unconscious smile brightening his face.

What was he going to put at the bottom? Christian’s eyes grew just a touch unfocused as he thought about the answer to her question. He had considered a whole slew of things, and he wasn’t entirely certain he’d come up with the final answer. “I haven’t decided yet. I’m open to ideas, though.” He had a purpose for the watch, an idea of who to give it to, but he hadn’t really decided that, not entirely, either. Right now, it was still a project in progress… Maybe it would tell him who it belonged to… Or maybe he’d just keep it. He hadn’t kept one of his creations in a little while now, after all.

He didn’t answer the first part of her question because he didn’t know the answer to that, either.

If there was something just a touch...off about that familiar almost dazed look in Chri’s eyes as he contemplated his newest toy Belle wrote it off as one of a dozen likely other thoughts that were apt to distract him.

Belle looked between the unfinished peice and her brother; maybe she’d pushed him too hard in the wake of her own sudden whirlwind romance, when all the world had been bright and she wished him to feel the same way.

“Seems ta be the sorta thing a soldier might need.” She offered quietly, hands curling around his. “Maybe you need to figure out who it belongs to than it will come to you.” Belle kissed his cheek, moving a touch slower to finish the crisp battering on his steak.

“Now!” When Belle turned back to him with a full plate, a bright smile was firmly implaced. “How about you tell me about work! Is Cammile back from her vacation yet?”

Belle had known Christian longer than anyone else. He had been terribly young when he’d been placed in the group home, young enough that he had no memory whatsoever of his parents, and had grown up without a family, the only semblance of it, the only understanding of what family really could be coming from her. He was able to be distracted by his toys and projects, by Jonah, by Safi, and of course by Belle. If that distraction had grown to include a pale green orb, well, that was hardly out of the ordinary. New tools and toys were always fascinating, but this orb, it was so much more than anything else he had. It could do so much, and it could do it all so well…

Looking down at the pocket watch, Christian had a sudden sense of identity with the piece. It was unfinished, rough. It didn’t work, not yet, and there were pieces missing from it, and that… That felt so much like him these days. He blinked down at the watch, gripping it gingerly, as though he could crush it in his hands, which he couldn’t - it was made to withstand great strength, he let Belle’s words echo in his mind. The sort of thing a soldier might need. He knew soldiers. One of them…

He glanced up at his sister, smiling to her, “Thank you, Belle.” He had a better idea now, who he might give this to, who he was making it for…

Work? Christian sighed, “Yes, she’s back from vacation, and making life miserable for pretty much everybody.” He leaned back in his chair, head going back to stair at the ceiling, “Nothing makes her happy, Belle. I had her office pristine when she came back. Her paperwork was nonexistent. And she was disappointed. She didn’t say as much, but I could tell.” There was just a touch of heat in his voice, ire and bitterness lacing into the words.